Robs Weekly Round-Up

26 August 2022

Dear colleagues,

Last week I shared congratulations on behalf of the Council to all of those who had just received their A and AS Level results. This week I would like to extend the same to all of those young people who received their GCSE results yesterday.

GSCE results day is a big moment in the lives of many young people. I hope all of those who opened theirs yesterday are today looking forward to whatever their future holds, be that further study, entering the world of work, or something different. Again, I would like to extend thanks on behalf of the Council and school pupils across the Vale to the colleagues whose hard work makes all of this possible. Diolch pawb.

A group of colleagues whose work with young people doesn’t receive much fanfare but has huge impact is our Youth Offending Service (YOS). This week, I am pleased to be able to share that the Vale of Glamorgan YOS has received an overall rating of ‘Good’ following an inspection by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Probation.

The team was praised for its “stability, passion and experience” in a very positive report by the Chief Inspector of Probation - Justin Russell. In summing up their work he said, “children have access to what they need to succeed and move away from further offending – this is good news for all concerned, not least the local communities in the Vale and throughout south-east Wales.” Striking the balance between helping children and protecting the public can be very difficult and this recognition for the YOS team is well deserved. A huge thanks to those involved.

I’d also like to thank all of those who completed this year’s staff survey. More than 1300 colleagues shared their views in this year’s exercise, more than in any pervious survey. I am particularly proud of the work that was done to ensure more colleagues working in frontline roles took part than ever before. While the work to analyse the results will take some time, to have engaged this number of people in shaping the future of the organisation represents another step forward for Team Vale.

I’d like to thank all of the project team that made the Staff Survey 2022 such a success. The project was a genuinely collaborative one, with colleagues from across many departments working together to bring their skills and experience to bear. In particular I’d like to give a shout out to Leanne Delaney our HR Systems and Data Manager who led the project. Leanne joined the Vale earlier this year and I am told that she brought energy and enthusiasm that drove the project and enabled it to be such a success. Diolch yn fawr Leanne and diolch to all those involved, including all colleagues who took the time to respond.

This weekend sees the annual Pride Cymru celebrations in Cardiff. Dozens of our colleagues and elected members will be marching under the GLAM banner as a show of solidarity with the LGBTQ+ community and a fantastic example of the inclusivity of the Vale of Glamorgan Council. I hope you all have a great day. It is not too late to join the team, just contact the GLAM Chair Tom Narborough in advance.

I believe it says a lot about the organisation that our colleagues will be marching in the same week that we have been able to announce that the Council has been awarded Race Equality Matters Trailblazer status in recognition of our work to address racial inequality through the creation of safe spaces.

Being recognised as a trailblazer means the work the Council has done has resulted in change and made an impact across the breadth of the entire organisation. The judging panel deemed that the Council’s work to ensure that ethnic minority voices are heard in safe space meetings was “clear and substantial” and gave the highest score possible for making sure that improvement suggestions were implemented. 

Thanks to all of those involved in this work and who attend or support our GLAM and Diverse networks. Your work is making a genuine difference. 

I don’t want this week to pass without drawing attention to the extra-curricular activities of our Head of Adult Services, Suzanne Clifton. Last weekend Suzanne abseiled 131 feet down the St David’s Hotel in Cardiff Bay to raise money for Age Connects Cardiff and the Vale. A very impressive feat and one that has so far raised £360 for the charity. Not only a great effort, but also a very brave effort! Da iawn Suzanne. 

I regularly use this message to pass on my thanks and gratitude to those who are retiring or moving on to other roles. This week I want to mention Jill Gorin from the Council’s Economy and Regeneration team. Jill retires on the 1st September, after a significant and enthusiastic contribution to the Council’s work on economic development. I know Jill’s colleagues will miss her contributions and we all wish her well for a long and healthy retirement. Diolch Jill.

Some of you may have already spotted the new InVentry visitor kisoks at the Alps and Civic offices. The new visitor sign-in system is up and running and all visitors must now sign in using the InVentry kiosk, at reception upon arrival at the building. You can find more information on Staffnet+.

Finally, if you are looking for a more peaceful way to enjoy the bank holiday weekend then a recent article by the Leader of the Council in the Barry based Buddy magazine highlighted some of the great work being done by the Vale Nature Partnership and ways in which we can all get involved. If you haven’t yet seen the piece then you can read it online and there are lots of good suggestions and useful links for conservation work we can all undertake. 

I hope that many of you have chance to enjoy the bank holiday weekend and for those of you who are working and on duty, you have my and my colleagues gratitude. As always thanks for your efforts this week. 

Diolch yn fawr iawn. 

Rob.